Nintendo's Battle Against Video Game Rentals

[@mantiskungfu728]

there was no better feeling than coming home from school on Friday night and your parents saying "you want to go rent something at the video store?"

[@GamingHistorian]

+Korvas YUP!

[@SPac316]

+Korvas That was every weekend for my family.

[@flamethefox8541]

+Gaming Historian video stores still exist today there's a family video close to me

[@mantiskungfu728]

Flame the Fox then you are super lucky! if there were any near me I'd go to them all the time just to help support them.

[@svp2010]

Preach!!!!!!

[@deadyrockspin]

I love that this channel doesnt try to be funny snarky or cute, just the history presented well!

[@sparksthedaytrader9606]

Norman doesnt need to try being cute! He just is!

[@JazzyBerry9000]

It's serious AVGN.

[@IsaacPurpleguy]

True. So many other channels try so hard.

[@mrm64]

Agreed. That's why I couldnt watch folks like ConnerTheWaffle anymore. Nice guy and good content, but the persona he gives off was just...annoying in my opinion.

[@mizt3r_420]

Yepp.. Professional.. And on point.. Great...

[@GamingHistorian]

Hello and welcome to a brand new episode! Today we are learning about Nintendo's attempt to end video game rentals. I'm sure most of us have fond memories of going to the video store and picking out a game or movie, so enjoy the wave of nostalgia!

[@chilitower]

+Gaming Historian "Fond memories" of late fees.....

[@caprilaser3]

Excellent video as always Norm. I used to rent NES games back in 1991 from a local indoor market here in the UK. It was interesting to hear about the legal battles going on in the background that us kids were oblivious to back then. Thanks for sharing and for the great content as always 👍👾👌

[@kdash20002]

one fond memory I had was renting Megaman 4 and beating it with my friend as we took turns playing stages

[@idiotsloveboxes]

You must do a collaboration with Game Theory. And others like Innuendo Studios.

[@EverythingBlaxx]

+Gaming Historian Have you ever considered having your fans do the voiceovers in your videos (eg. reading a quote from someone)? Sign me up if you ever do

[@JosephByrne]

Renting games in the 90s was fierce. We had a local independent store that had all the latest releases. One weekend we got Desert Strike and it was awesome. You'd also meet friends randomly at the video store. Those were the days.

[@N_g_er]

Are you gay too buddy?

[@Freak80MC]

​@@N_g_er Fellas is it gay to breathe next to your homie in the video store? But seriously, sometimes I swear its probably easier being gay than dealing with whatever problem men seem to have with doing ANYTHING around other men.

[@N_g_er]

@@Freak80MC I'm gay

[@nightinxgale7083]

I rented Mario Kart SNES like 50 times from the local rental store; I could've bought it probably twice for the amount of money that I (my mom) spent lol

[@VentDeux]

thats horrible man .

[@Andrew-McCormick]

69th like

[@Erox006]

were you dropped as an infant ? or was your mom ?

[@hustonovich]

I did the same thing with Paper Mario for the N64 before my dad ultimately bought a copy for my birthday.

[@mikevega2023]

Thats true i rented alot of the same games a few times especially if it was a good game.

[@jfalconredskins]

I remember renting the SNES console when it first came out. It used to come inside a cool black suitcase.

[@neonnoir9692]

Yep, it was a black case with a Blockbuster sticker on it. I remember the look of the SNES inside it when i first opened it. It had 2 huge latches you had to open and the material was bumpy.

[@mikeschmidt4800]

And my dog ate the foam inside. So that's how I got my first console.

[@jfalconredskins]

@@mikeschmidt4800 That's not a bad trick. Too bad I didn't have a dog.

[@origintrackz5235]

@@jfalconredskins Damn they must of charged your parent triple for that console lol.

[@ParadoxialRepetition]

God, I miss brick and mortar places. It used to be such a good time, going to the Blockbuster or the Hollywood video or the moviestop. It was a night out with the family. Mama and Daddy would get a movie for themselves and us kids would get a videogame and stay up till late trying to get as much fun out of the game as possible for the amount of days we were allowed to keep it. It was always so much fun just going to these places. Digital media is superior - yes. But it is still a shame that my kids will never know the fun of going out with the family to find that one treasure in the video store.

[@WWEMMA32]

Reading this makes me sad. I had such great memories on Fridays after school doing this.

[@magustrigger9195]

I miss them and cd/tape stores Wandering huge bins of music and getting a whole album ....got so many terrible albums and games but it was great cause got alot of gems and oddities

[@G33KN3rd]

OH WELL, Now your kids and their kids will just go online and download or order whatever they want.

[@jonathanredford215]

Hollywood video indeed lol. That was my spot as a kid. My older brother would rent games, i'd rent some action or disney movie. Really did feel like a treat, before video on demand came

[@pensacolian211]

+TheVileDelinquent I feel the same way. I try to explain the whole video/game rental experience to my son, but he'll never really get it. How much fun it was just browsing the various aisles trying to decide what to get this week. Sometimes it'd take me an hour or more just to decide. Now everything's readily available at the click of a button. Convenient, yes, but I still prefer the old way of doing things. Nowadays I can watch whatever I want, whenever I want, yet rarely watch anything. It sounds cheesy, but for me the magic's just not there anymore.

[@superchickenlips1]

Nintendo: I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those pesky Blockbusters.

[@spacexmike]

nice one

[@WeirdLuigi]

And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you rental companies and your pesky copyright laws!

[@nomanalam3347]

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT!!!!!!

[@chrisdoe3642]

redboxiedoxie dooooooooooo

[@Kerfufflefuf]

Blockbuster to Nintendo: FAK U!!!

[@StopSkeletonsFromFighting]

Only 51 Blockbuster Video's in the country, and I can confirm 3 of those are in Anchorage, Alaska.

[@JanusThePaladin]

+Stop Skeletons From Fighting And another in Wasilla

[@tdjorge4019]

Another 7 in the Rio Grande Valley, but 4 just closed their doors last month, now 3 left.

[@manny7318]

One in Sandy Oregon.

[@GOJI1954]

+Jorge Alcorta lol i work at one of them

[@GOJI1954]

+Jorge Alcorta lol i work at one of them

[@marcush4741]

"Today, there are only 51" Oh dayum, this must be an old video.

[@LordZordid]

Today there is only one store left. And it is in Bend, Oregon owned by a private company. Last year a woman in Sydney closed the second last store that was almost entirely funded by private donations.

[@sonic1135]

@@LordZordid there is still video store in Indiana a family video that is still going with being able to rent games today its litterally right next to a little ceasar's pizza

[@LordZordid]

@@sonic1135 No. That is closed as well.

[@sonic1135]

@@LordZordid i know now a friend of mine told me the family video in Crawfordsville Indiana right next to the little Cesar's pizza closed down which tellls me they all did

[@avenged-khaos]

@@sonic1135 still one in greencastle

[@pasta-eo5mt]

I can't get enough of these Gaming Historian videos. Amazingly well done. Thank you so much for putting such time are care into their production.

[@krozareq]

Had to look at the date of the video. "Now there are 51" heh now there are 0 Blockbusters. There's an independently owned one in Bend OR that still uses the name but BB is gone.

[@goofy4018]

Rentals are good. It encourages trial and makes for a smarter future purchase. Forces Industry to make good games.

[@mikeluna2026]

Yes, demos/trials are good. But the problem is the publisher and the devs were not getting any kind of royalty from the rentals (while other industries did or had grace periods to allow them to sell). Specially, considering the ton of people who liked the games, could buy them, but didn't, simply because they didn't want to...

[@MrEscanaba]

@@mikeluna2026 Especially how bad those company have gotten this year. Buying Rental now is like paying your bully lunch money, the bully being the gaming company. Developer and Publisher alike.

[@TheJsjay2345]

Alvaro U. Luna they shouldn’t get shyt this is America the land of opportunity everyone takes advantages of loop holes and this is exactly what that was a loop hole

[@liosmani9353]

U still kinda do it now...well sort of. Like c.e.x...u can buy and return within 48hours i think..so u can play it n give it back.

[@omarreyes7626]

In theory a company is supposed to do beta testing to different demographics to see if a product will sell on different levels of production, starting with the concept, the characters, gameplay testing and so on and so forth, so that pretty much eliminates the need for rental to do a market study, also companies like nintendo are famous for not really listening to costumer feedback and pretty much go and say "hey, here's this product, buy it if you like it, if not we simply won't produce it anymore" it's a risky tactic but hey, they've been around for nearly a century and still very healthy all things considered, so this particular issue is more complicated than you think. Lastly a fact that couldn't be denied at the time is that video game rental did made a direct blow to the industry, movies had the revenue of ticket sales, video games didn't really the proposed "wait one year" legislation was a good half way point, maybe not a whole year but 6 months and everyone would be pretty happy.

[@ProLaytonxPhoenix]

If I remember correctly, Nintendo also sued the makers of the Game Genie. They weren't happy with that device but they lost that case too lol.

[@GatorRay]

+Peace Walker Then again I can see where there coming from because using it is technically cheating. Even if it was a dumb decision.

[@ProLaytonxPhoenix]

tim5fl who cares if it's cheating? It doesn't affect nintendo's sales or infringe on any copyright.

[@GatorRay]

Peace Walker Touche

[@moviemetalhead]

Galoob were the makers of Game Genie. Yes the Micro Machine company.

[@Browningate]

So satisfying to see Nintendo fail at all this draconian nonsense. Hopefully they get what they have coming and go completely belly-up someday.

[@danielgutman5916]

Wow, video game rentals are still illegal in Japan. That one blew my mind.

[@Rutherford_Inchworm_III]

Japanese capitalism is considerably less competition and consumer friendly than most other nations' versions. Immense conglomerates that would be unthinkable in the US (called zaibatsu, and then keretsu) are worshiped as noble oligarchs that almost totally control and dictate the Japanese economy. High ranking executives are often appointed to critical government positions literally the day they retire, with zero oversight or approval, and nobody considers it unusual or unethical. That's precisely how the Fukushima Daiichi disaster occurred, because the nuclear oversight board was entirely composed of either former Tokyo Electric Power Company executives or others with direct financial ties to TEPCO. Corruption elevated to Asian cultural icon. "Father is always right". sorry for wall of text, but I get really tired of hearing people talk about how progressive and enlightened Japan is compared to America or Europe. In reality, their brand of capitalism is MORE evil, if anything.

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

@BMT Yes,Capitalism dosen't requiere a competitive market

[@chrish8904]

@@Rutherford_Inchworm_III I think in general when people talk about or think Japan is "progressive" its in terms of their technological breakthroughs and robotics, NOT in terms of government.

[@InhabitantOfOddworld]

@@Rutherford_Inchworm_III "Immense conglomerates that would be unthinkable in the US" That's really just laughable. A small number of massive private financial bodies have the US in their back pocket, from tech giants to the private bankers running the fed-res. Japan was rebuilt by the US after the war; it's economic structure is merely a reflection of what the US oligarchs desire. A trial run for their own design.

[@lelsewherelelsewhere9435]

Nintendo Japan actually had a direct from satellite to your system "rental" or demo thing called satelliview. Sega has a similar thing, and a cable TV like version in the US (I could be getting the companies off here, but one of them did).

[@kenjackben]

I'm actually lived through the time of going to a store to rent movies and video games and it all seems like a very foreign concept to me now and I am very nostalgic for it

[@nidalenieve]

Lmaooo

[@JC20XX]

I remember renting Kirby tilt and tumble from a non chain place.

[@jaredweiman2987]

Idk that it's that dramatic. But I remember it as well. Nothing felt worse than waiting until Friday to go in after school to rent a movie and then 4/5 of my top choices were out of stock. Not an issue today.

[@dontcare7086]

I loved rental stores. My dad did some sort of computer repair at General Electric. He had a buddy with a son and his buddy always knew how to copy games and bypass the security protections. He would even do stuff to our consoles to allow them to illegally play games. At my peak I had around 200 games and all the popular stuff only available in Japan. The Japanese games were more of a novelty as you couldn't play them for long. They didn't translate them to English because it wasn't sold for a English speaking market. Sorry about the rant but I went down memory lane watching this video.

[@songsthatarecatchy]

I remember it. And while I feel that nostalgia as well I think it's better now not having to go out just to get a game or a movie. So much easier to stream.

[@satchels6451]

the closest i ever got to a N64 is my dad renting the entire console from blockbuster with mario 64 for 3 days.... i remember waking up at 6am just to play lololol

[@haamishmcgarry]

😢

[@_bhp]

man it was so cool you could rent an entire console.

[@yoursubconscious]

@@haamishmcgarry you said it best!

[@giovannipiamonte1069]

The history of my Life ...

[@AndrewXX92]

Sad story

[@benrayboi]

I work at a video rental store in Nebraska called Family Video, and we still rent out video games

[@sgillman16]

Yes, Family Video is a national chain. There is one near my house. They rent out game systems too

[@ComicGladiator]

That's awesome, and a little surprising! How many months ago did Nebraska start getting videos and video games?

[@tobysalvaje4511]

Comic Gladiator 😂

[@kjeezy2990]

ergonaut along with the over abundance of mattress stores

[@finallyanime]

wow didn't know they were still around wow

[@Yolligraphone]

This is TV quality. Extremely professional documentary, keep up the amazing work.

[@nologicneeded1476]

10:19 I'm watching this on August 4, 2019. Today's the 30th anniversary of that lawsuit I guess.

[@noahw3309]

Yes

[@KarimJovian]

Never knew this. Quite incredible actually. And now there is only 1 Blockbuster left

[@WinXitheP00h]

Alluh akbar

[@rong.2494]

don't feel sorry for them. they killed the mom n pops that had better quality movies

[@redm00n748]

8,999 stores, all gone!

[@DimJongUn]

I visited the Bend location last year, it was like walking back in time. There were a handful of tourists when we were there, but I still spotted some locals actually renting movies.

[@godsfilmmaker8863]

Love this channel! The one comment at the end of the video “but video rental lives on in the form of Redbox…” 😂

[@jeffk1722]

They fought a long legal battle. Ironically, their best fight against rentals was actually making long RPG's that took a while to complete.

[@RageUnchained]

Nintendo sueing? Shocker

[@SegaDream131]

I bought my first nes game from a rental store.....it was FF1....😎

[@jjmanzano9]

How is that ironic?

[@strawberrykicker2]

Learn the definition of irony

[@Sinn0100]

It made games really hard as well.

[@thegamerpad9086]

Good topic to talk about. Should've mentioned how Nintendo eventually had a Championship through Blockbuster at one point (There's a DK-Country Blockbuster Cartridge) and there were even Blockbuster exclusive N64 games.

[@thefitgurutv]

Blockbuster Exclusive N64 games; I don’t remember any of this at all.

[@det0xxp]

I don't think the games were exclusive... They just had a BB logo thrown on it.

[@SharonisCarin321]

@@thefitgurutv clayfighter 63 and 1/3 sculptors cut

[@Doommaster1994]

@@SharonisCarin321 Also Stunt Racer 64.

[@jasondashney]

Doesn't mean they weren't still at war. Apple and Samsung sue each other yet Samsung makes parts for the iPhone. That's just how smart business is done.

[@Imamobile]

So when this video was made 3 years ago there were 51 Blockbusters stores left, now there's only one :(

[@xxEzraBxxx]

And they have no plans of closing.

[@joetroutt7425]

I didn't even know they still exist

[@syxepop]

KhrisCell, sorry... Even before you typed this that Oregon location (believe was S of Portland in a small town downtown) has been CLOSED FOR MONTHS (late '18-early '19). That was THE LAST FRANCHISED BLOCKBUSTER in existence worldwide (others outside of US changed their names already and the US corporate ones closed several years ago).

[@Imamobile]

@@syxepop 😥

[@JARedwolf100]

Shame the last two here in Alaska shut down. Here in Alaska, it’s one of the few areas where rentals are still going due to the problem with streaming.

[@subzerotheiceninga8254]

It is always comforting to know that Nintendo hasn't changed at all since then.

[@Milliardo__Peacecraft]

@@luisangelpinedabenard3829 lol you must not know about how scummy Nintendo actually is. Don't get me wrong I love the games and hardware but holy hell does that company despise their customers.

[@TheAdmirableAdmiral]

@@Milliardo__Peacecraft Nintendo isn't that bad, especially when you compare them to DIsney. Nintendo is just very very protective of their IP. Where as disney just wants to extort you and propagandize you. Nintendo just doesn't want you to pirate their games.

[@boomtatortot5431]

@@TheAdmirableAdmiral yeahhhh that's not true all they care about is making a buck and they finally found their maker when emulators popped up all over and they knew they couldn't prosecute everyone so the decided to pull money from direct consumers. Nintendo is on top and everyone knows it, but they are shit as well. I mean come on the rental business was proven to create more wealth for video games considering how long campaigns tooke to complete. Rentals hooked gamers into actually buying a game they wouldn't have bought in the first place. Nintendo as a company sucks the video games are great tho imo!

[@NyctNyct]

@@Milliardo__Peacecraft but Nintendo was right here. Some wrongs done don't make everything you've done as wrong.

[@elisabettajdj335]

white people stealing from asian IP again and again and being hypocritical about it lmao

[@CentralKentuckyWeather]

When our Blockbuster went out of business, my buddy bought it and runs it as a locally owned store. He still does great to this day renting movies and games.

[@chaztitan6457]

to people who dont have internet or access to a library?

[@Kuhlyedascope69]

your buddy also said he had a 3 some with a blow up doll and a rubber assth

[@davidmcguire6043]

A store being profitable to a corporation and to an individual are two completely different things.

[@addust]

So Blockbuster is still kinda alive? ok.

[@susancorgi]

wow that's rare!

[@BKLegacy]

this was so cool and informative! I grew up in the 90s, and never knew this war was going on behind the scenes.

[@jasondashney]

There's a war going on behind every industry imaginable. Always has been, always will, and it's almost always interesting if presented well.

[@brutal722]

I remember the times in the early 2000’s when rental store were selling their inventories, you could get your dose of nes, super nes and others for dirt cheap

[@serazharkova7564]

Not quite the same as games, but I remember when my local blockbuster closed in 2004 and my mam brought home maybe 40 Disney movies all for really cheap!!! Was the best day ever when I was a kid lol

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

There really was a whole culture built around rental-shops. I lament that we'll never see anything like it again... =(

[@KootenaiKing]

That's how Gamestop should operate: charge people for a subscription service where we can rent games for a certain amount of time, then we return them kinda like a library for games. Or you could outright buy the game you rented cuz you liked it.

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

@@KootenaiKing That's a good idea! And I'm glad you have fond memories too. Thanks! =)

[@KootenaiKing]

@@BuckarooBanzai84 let's pass it on the Gamestop corporate. . . .

[@BuckarooBanzai84]

@@KootenaiKing If I figure out how, then yes. =)

[@EndUser2090]

These videos are so refined and academic, I feel like I should be watching them on a CRT on top of a cart. Good job cheers.

[@Jawwaad1111]

I feel like movie and video game rentals were a very family/friend oriented occasion. I remember getting together with my friends every week deciding who was going to rent what games and movies, then deciding who’s house the sleep over was going to be at. Then spending the entire night watching movies and playing games and sleeping the entire next day. Loved when it got dark early and sunrise was late. Just more time to get no sleep playing games and watching movies.

[@INeverWanted2010]

Dude your videos are so relaxing to watch, thanks for your channel

[@1110-q5f]

INeverWanted2010 so true the music on the ESRB vid almost made me cry of relaxation

[@thagrifster594]

Man I miss going out on Friday w/GF to rent a movie at Blockbuster or Hollywood. Fun times.

[@spacexmike]

always used to chuckle when walking past the adult movies

[@thagrifster594]

Mike Durant LoL

[@boratumaumabora]

For a man that '"didn't like lawyers", Yamauchi sure liked lawsuits a lot 🤔

[@trucy1337]

Nintendo loves money more than they hate lawyers

[@TheSP33DFREAK]

@@trucy1337 Nintendo loves money more then anything. I'm so sick of hearing people say "Nintendo loves their customers", No Nintendo loves their customers money.

[@TheSP33DFREAK]

@Diabeto Kills I'm not even saying that it's wrong for a company to love money. That's how a company works! All video game companies love their customers money more than the customer. They would be out of business if they didn't.

[@axeschokolade3532]

Like every big company ever ? Why should they care about anything else

[@autobotstarscream765]

@@TheSP33DFREAK Who know who loves their customers? SEGA. Where did that get them?

[@BirdsOfGlass]

A good friend was at a mom & pop video store that was going out of business. He bought every game they had (Which was nes & snes) with boxes, instructions & the games in pristine condition. Box upon box of shrinkwrapped nes & snes games. It was incredible to see.

[@solidsnake3861]

miss the feeling going to the rental store with my dad

[@NateeB1]

First Nintendo I bought was from blockbuster in that metal case. That new foam and plastic smell still is one of the best memories I've ever had as a kid.

[@christiangomez5309]

I love watching your show! I feel like I'm watching a legit PBS show. I have a love for games and this really helps me reflect on the games that I loved so much

[@Larry]

I remember when Blockbuster in the UK started doing game rentals, it was nearly entirely EA games on the Mega Drive (Genesis), virtually nothing else... stuff like Sword of Sodan, Budokai, Dark Castle and James Pond. I know EA produced their own carts, so maybe they did a deal with Blockbusters before anyone else. :S Interesting.

[@razzledazzle7776]

Love you Larry!

[@NathanLJustice]

+Larry Bundy Jr Dark Castle? I'm truly sorry

[@Larry]

Nathan Justice I rented Sword of Sodan. That was bad enough!!!

[@thomasedwardharrison2879]

Back when EA were good

[@krozareq]

And now BB is no more. Just an independently owned store in Bend OR that uses the name but they have to buy everything retail themselves. Looks more like they're making money selling merchandise by branding themselves as the last Blockbuster.

[@ciberkid22]

Blockbuster: *dies due to internet popularity* Nintendo: "This... does put a smile on my face"

[@christianmendoza6045]

*asks Nintendo* And what did it cost?

[@fonzdj]

\\officialhedgeandahog // everything - Thano

[@thestarlightalchemist7333]

but now it costs way more to fix DVDs since Blockbuster is gone...

[@doomjuan]

I know this is a meme, but Nintendo actually partnered with blockbuster multiple times during the n64 era

[@Tailgatesntoolboxes]

Blockbuster was offered to buy a up and coming conpany called...NETFLIX....they weren't interested.....uh dumb move blockbuster

[@StarzGecko]

What I loved about Blockbuster was the chance to try out video games that I might asked for Birthday or Christmas. Without Blockbuster or retail stores I might not had the chance to experience many games or barely have many at all… 😢

[@jennyanydots2389]

Video games are a form of child abuse. It looks like you got your fair share son.

[@TuMalditaMadre]

And to think, Blockbuster was offered Netflix for $50 million and turned them down.

[@SuperHandyman100]

BET THEY FUCKING REGRET THAT!!!

[@mrk09988]

Organization inertia has killed many companies, next one to fall: department stores.

[@johnconnor2402]

Blockbuster would have ruined Netflix. They wouldn't be the same company they are now. I'm glad BB turned down the deal.

[@josephbradner7684]

Kenny Lopez they wre also offred reblox netflix got the same offer

[@MidnightMovieMavenn]

it REALLY did seem like a stupid idea at first haha

[@PJVids83]

I had no idea music rental shops existed. The first time I knew you could rent music -- well, it was Spotify.

[@MrNayru]

Philip Zamora Isn't Spotify more like a Flatrate for Streaming and temporary Downloads ?

[@hippyandchicky]

Public Library?

[@DieHardjagged]

In Germany it is still perfectly legal for Libraries to rental Music CDs.

[@comedyloverism]

Some public libraries have CDs for costumers to rent.

[@sgillman16]

you can rent CD's from public libraries for free

[@Pixel-dan]

Fascinating topic! I wasn't aware of this. Great work as always, Norm!

[@mko258]

anyone else remembering having to take back a game like Zelda 2 knowing your saved progress was gonna get deleted. Or going to the video store on a Friday only to find out the game you wanted was rented out.😭😄

[@bigtoblerone8446]

Mhmm~

[@yoursubconscious]

too many times...

[@SlackersIndustry]

what if tbey had a couple ofnthe same game and gave u the one without the save and you tbought it was erased 😂

[@arlibrarian]

On the other hand, you might get a cartridge where someone had already beaten the game!

[@StaypuftTheMarshmallowMan]

Harvest moon. Some unknown person in the neighborhood was always renting the one copy the store had, we never messed with each others saves though. It was an uneasy, unspoken truce.

[@ssjichigo666]

these were merely because if a game was garbage, a person would find that out when renting it, then the devs wouldn't get a profit because no one would want to buy their bad games, it was only to protect terrible programmers, because if a game is actually good, the costumer would go out and get their own copy instead of wasting all that money renting it repeatedly

[@Chaos89P]

I don't think Nintendo was aware of that. It seems like they still don't with the whole LP thing.

[@landwolf00]

Nintendo actually hasn't changed so much. Now they target people streaming their games as they feel like they are somehow losing money from people advertising their games.

[@davidhalabi664]

I heard only certified streamers and reviewers could use game-play of Nintendo game, although im not sure.

[@TehComs]

A fair point, but also consider that some people find masochistic pleasure in playing games their favorite 'Tubers find exceptionally horrible, and will occasionally take great lengths to acquire them.

[@scorchx3000]

"This game is a piece of shit" is "free advertising" for LJN.

[@blakegriplingph]

Which explains why one ex-Nintendo staffer believed the Switch could be their swan song. As seminal their games were, their business practices eventually shot themselves in the foot on the long run since their move towards game development.

[@irllcd13]

I think it would be a fantastic thing if Ninty pulled a Sega and got out of hardware. Let them merge with Sony and Playstation becomes the Zelda/Mario/Metroid system. That would more or less sink whatever hope Microsoft still has of being part of the console market. Ninty stops pushing their gimmicky nonsense like semi-portability, touchscreens, dual screens and motion control and just focuses on making old school Mario, Zelda and Metroid games while using Sony's hardware. Xbox wouldn't stand a chance.

[@RogueBoyScout]

*Meanwhile, at the Legion Of Doom....* "Hello, you have called Nintendo's Legal Office".....

[@ironman2326]

"WHAAAAT A RUUUSHHHH!!!..."

[@Kerfufflefuf]

Blockbuster to Nintendo: FAK U!!!

[@tommymoore9443]

Nintendo has always been behind the times; I especially love the fact that Saga was making marketing deals while Nintendo was suing everyone... even today. There wasn't any free trials, demos or KZbin back then, so the only way to trial a game was to rent it or if you were lucky, you knew someone who owned it. Most games I rented, I ended up purchasing.

[@Tofuey]

Nintendo used to really fuck over people who maybe youtube videos based off Nintendo games. Thank god they stopped.

[@gamingtherapy7587]

Nintendo are modern day DickTurpin😂 . Always taking someone to court to fir one thing or another . Hardware prices never really drop, they don't make any loss on their products unlike Sony and Xbox . I also liked to rent games then I would purchase the ones I liked . Bit like Games Pass now for me , why spend £40 on a crap game when yiu can rent it for two days and decide if its good or not .

[@Rspsand07]

And who’s bigger now?

[@tommymoore9443]

@@Rspsand07 Not Nintendo.

[@RyanStokes4GOVFL]

A trip to blockbuster on Friday during the summer as a kid was everything.

[@CinesterCharlie]

What's really surprising is that there are 51 stores left.

[@davidhalabi664]

There are only 12 left, google it.

[@LastBastion]

probably at Alaska, but lot of them is just individual store that doesnt bother tp change their name

[@brentonschulz3441]

One of them (Cardiff, NSW, Australia) only just closed in 2018!

[@jamesmays9814]

Not anymore. Last I heard they were down to one. Not sure if even that is still around or not.

[@sgillman16]

There would still be one left in my city, but they had to go out of business because of the owner of the strip mall it was part of decided to raise the rent

[@reinhardt2884]

Anyone else thinking digital rentals is bullshit? If I'm looking for a particularly old movie and maybe less popular movie, I have to filter through like 3-4 services before I can find it, and then its something ridiculous like a $10 rental. Then I realize torrent is free... EDIT: Also try your public libraries if you want to recreate the video rental feel. My library has some really awesome old VHS & DVD selection.

[@unitedhybrid187]

This is why people still hold onto physical media. Streaming and rental services are great. But they don't release everything on other formats. I still have DVDs that they never released for Blu Ray or digital. I have VHS tapes for the same reason. Once they release it to the next format, I get it. But there are so many good movies and shows out there that these studios own but won't do anything with them. The only way to have it is to of owned it when it first came out and then you're SoL any other time. The studios only mainly focus on the blockbusters that made them money instead of investing in small runs of their other obscure stuff.

[@reinhardt2884]

@@unitedhybrid187 Actually pretty sad, because I found so many obscure movies and cult classic back when our local rental stores were still around... some of these locally owned ones had VHS and DVDs jammed in every nook and cranny of their stores, like library. A lot of those old videos are hard to find online, and usually not through kosher methods of obtaining them.

[@nexious69]

No. It's no different than physical rentals... except you don't have to get off your ass and drive to the store.

[@austinalmanza7394]

True

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

@@unitedhybrid187 The best places to find those rare VHS tapes and DVDs online include Amazon, eBay and ShopGoodwill.com.

[@stclairstclair]

Getting a movie on a Friday night with a pizza was special, Something you really looked forward to. Having everything at your fingertips sounds appealing but in fact it doesn't make it better.

[@Danbo22987]

Honestly, there's such a thing as TOO MUCH choice. When you can have everything, you want nothing.

[@stclairstclair]

Danbo 22 "when you have everything you appreciate nothing" for me. Our fist piece of A-$$ wouldn't mean much if it was available at the drop of a hat since birth.

[@JohnRiggs]

Great idea for a video. As a kid, I could afford to buy any games so when my stores started carrying games to rent it was a dream come true.

[@Phlegethon]

Wish we could all go back to those days for a little while

[@aleksander8497]

simpler times

[@Sirdiggar]

Yea man I miss those days. Renting a VHS tape then getting home and having to rewind it because the previous person didn't rewind it 🙈

[@joshcunningham8780]

@@Sirdiggar some of the places I remember charged you a fee if you returned it without being rewound, but what animal would do such a thing?

[@Sirdiggar]

@@joshcunningham8780 Wow really? Never knew of any places that did that here in the UK. Not to mention getting away with it

[@joshcunningham8780]

@@Sirdiggar Yeah I'm sure part of it was a scare tactic to just get people to do it. Couldn't say for sure as I was too busy running over to the game section to see what was in.

[@JonyJuices]

Physical video game rentals were probably the peak of pro-consumer availability in gaming. The cost to play a game for a few days was fair but not cost-effective after. I bought so many games I would have never had if I didn’t just sample them first.

[@WarriorsPhoto]

I love the wording that was used by the lawyers. It's always so beautifully said to tell their clients story. LOL

[@campampates]

Blockbuster is still alive and well in Mexico. you can rent ps4 games and all

[@Lonsoleil]

Interesting

[@campampates]

Banter Board nvmnd. as of 2016 their trademark is expiring and a new brand will come to replace them known as "B-Store" m.cnnexpansion.com/negocios/2015/09/18/blockbuster-desaparece-en-mexico-conoce-su-nueva-imagen

[@brayanmartinez9063]

+David Robles There's like two or three of them here in Cd. Juarez but I live kinda far from them so I never had the chance to go and see what they sell.

[@gabefx]

También van a morir las 'B stores' tienen el mismo concepto de blockbuster, aqui en monterrey ya cerraron una un mes después de cambiarle el nombre

[@Bad616]

+David Robles that must be were the 51 stores are cant find one in america

[@KageMaxwell]

Am I the only one that see the humor of Nintendo hating the rental world? A good 95% of my SNES games and all but 1 of my games for the N64 were the results of renting games from Blockbuster. A new game would come out, I'd rent it to see was it good. If I liked it, I bought it. If the game sucked, I would avoid it like the plague.

[@benmacdonald3571]

That's the whole point though, Nintendo didn't wan't you to try it they wanted you to buy it, I'm not saying that Nintendo are right or wrong but at the end of the day they are a business and any business is out to make a profit

[@catlover10192]

@@benmacdonald3571 The point is that strategy is counterproductive, Without the ability to try before you buy, a lot of people avoid media they aren't sure of instead of buying it anyway,

[@saynotop2w]

Sega does Nintendon't wasn't just their ad slogan. They really did do everything Nintendo would not.

[@williamatchison5230]

yeah that's true. like how Nintendo just totally refused to financially bomb and begin producing third party software for Sega... But Sega sure showed them how that was done on the flip side, though. ahaha

[@ZephKyno]

Rivalry is good for the consumer. Imagine Nintendo uncontested in the 80's and 90's.

[@atre5763]

ManhwaFan Sega is a dead company.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Sega still manufactures arcade games and licenses their characters to other consoles. They left the console race after Dreamcast flopped. Sonic Mania will be released in the next couple of months.

[@Changetheling]

Clearly you just watched images instead of playing the games till the end; 1993 Kirby's Adventure (NES) is one of the best games with amazing production values (Kirby has more animations than Mario, Sonic, Samus and Link combined) and one of the first games to feature an actual art direction integrated into the gameplay. Of course, the facts won't change your opinion; but that is another story.

[@FunFails]

In Sweden, we had library video game rentals that were completely free back in the 2000s.

[@brianwilliams1410]

I was Blockbuster CEO from 86 to 89. Blockbuster employees consider those the Golden Years.

[@MeatGoblet]

Did your offices ever get hit by RPGs?

[@retro0dog]

Brian Williams I bet you're upset that Blockbuster isn't around anymore

[@ryanknox6472]

I gotta job for you I know it's hard being unemployed

[@nickamenta12]

Derp statement right there

[@digerttm]

How very much like nintendo to attack something they barely understand at the slightest sign of lost profits.

[@blade8800]

this

[@digerttm]

skylineGT ...is that ice cold

[@NathanLJustice]

+tristan digert yes but fucking true

[@Gregtami]

+tristan digert Like now what they did to let's player's on KZbin and take their monetization? Yeah this is somewhat similar to battle with Blockbuster.

[@JwopDk]

+tristan digert This sentence perfectly explains my biggest qualm with Nintendo. I love their games, but when it comes to legal matters I almost always completely disagree with them. I love modding games, but they can't stand people trying to enjoy their games in ways they didn't intend. I want to watch content on the internet that uses footage from their games, but they always either try to block it or take half the royalties. NINTENDO Y U DO DIS :'(

[@thebestcentaur]

"Today, there are only 51." Oregon says hello from 2020

[@TheIcePhoenixx]

And now there are None. :( RIP Blockbuster Video, I will miss the many hours I spent walking your isles looking for the 1-2 movies my foster parents would let us rent for the weekend. I will miss sprawling out on the floor with my hands on my chin staring 2 feet away at our32 inch Tube TVs enthralled by the movie playing in the VCR. I will miss the late nights and popcorn, we still have them but they just aren't the same.

[@DarthReggie]

Thank u for improving my gaming knowlage even more than what it is keep it up man I learned so much watching u

[@michalittle31]

I think the most surprising thing in this video was that there were still 51 blockbusters at the time it was being made.

[@WrecklessEating]

It blows my mind that there are still 51 Blockbusters lol

[@CaptainNatron]

+WrecklessEating Right, I was expecting Norm would say there was something like 3 of them left haha.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

+WrecklessEating But they're mostly franchised locations in Texas and Alaska.

[@nintendozilla9843]

Right now, there is only one in the U.S. Oh, how times change :(

[@jimmmyz169]

It's so cool to see your videos progress over the years, awesome job!

[@pinkywinky911]

Renting games is still illegal here in Japan so people just buy used games. I’ve done it so many times and all of the games are always in very good condition.

[@kathartik]

fun fact: Blockbuster was still incredibly profitable in Canada when it was dying in the US. what did Blockbuster corporate do? instead of supporting the healthy limbs in the form of Canadian stores, they gutted them and sold them off. the only thing it did was keep the US stores afloat for something like 1-2 months. now here in Canada we don't even have redboxes any more. there are now no options at all for rentals in most Canadian cities.

[@SmashBrosmike85]

I miss Blockbuster, I didn’t rent many video games back in the day, but I did purchase a lot of second hand games in their used games bin. I bought a lot of awesome games that people for some reason didn’t want to hold on to, like Eternal Darkness and Viewtiful Joe for the GameCube, amongst other awesome little treasures.

[@zombiesbyte331]

In the UK we used to rent games but that quickly became obsolete when we found trade-in shops that would allow you to exchange based on what category your game was plus a standard fee (about what you'd pay for a single days rent) the game would be yours to keep and you'd end up taking it back after "Clocking" it (an expression locally used to say we completed it).

[@AntoRetroGamer]

Exactly. A lot of kids did this back in the day.

[@CoinOpTV]

ahhhh good ole nintendo always fighting the american way!

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Nintendo is a Japanese company fighting the American way.

[@GalaxyEighty]

+fresh red scarves my body is Reggie! (I'm sorry I just had to)

[@richardperez1932]

You know it.

[@RecklessFire29]

+CoinOpTV I just think this proves that Nintendo never grew with the times, they're still as tight fisted as ever, and constantly fight their fans with all their might. Look at Let's Play. Nintendo HATES Let's Play. Sony and Microsoft embraced these things, and Nintendo will only let you do it if you agree to give them the majority of the money you earn. Hell, 3rd party companies ditched Nintendo when the Playstation hit after years under strict guidelines for NES and SNES. Nintendo is tightfisted, absolutely domineering, and it's finally shot them in the foot.

[@Captain_Neckbeard]

+RecklessFire29 Third parties were fucking estatic to leave Nintendo.

[@SarajevoKyoto]

I remember my dad coming home from blockbuster one night with Goldeneye 007, Smash Bros, and some N64 wrestling game that I don't remember. It was magic.

[@obsoletegeek]

Back when the game you rented was almost always chosen based on the cover art!

[@mrchoochoohead9033]

better than back in the 80s and only being able to BUY a game based on the cover art. wow did we bring home a lot of garbage back then for full price

[@harveywallbanger3123]

Unless you forked out for a Nintendo Power magazine first. Which not only gave you a better idea of what you might be buying, but also inevitably included cheat codes and hints. Also possibly a poster. I was okay with ponying out $5 for a magazine to Nintendo once a month to replace their usual "HA HA U RUSE NO WETURNS" thing, even though I was only paying the $5 because they objectively hated and feared their customers for some bizarre Nipponese reason.

[@angrytigermpc]

There was nothing like the feeling of renting a (N64) game with on-cart battery saves, returning it with your save file on it, and renting it again later with whoever had played it since having not deleted your save

[@spike378]

I remember walking in blockbuster first time and it felt like a video library museum. It was epic

[@RedPlanetPictures1]

This is fascinating. I always wondered why games switched to those game case printed instructions instead of booklets.

[@xinceras-6542]

I still rent video games all the time, and it doesn't cost money anymore. My local public library lets you check out video games. Everyone should check if their nearby libraries do too.

[@elimargomes410]

I'm total in love with this channel!!! All videos are so good and well done!!! Thanks for the subtitles, it help me a lot (I'm not a english native speaker)

[@Phlegethon]

There were still 51 blockbusters when this was released

[@NathanLJustice]

I'm surprised Nintendo never tried to sue me for letting my friend borrow River City Ransom for 3 months in 1991

[@NathanLJustice]

+Nathan Justice oh and Norm your videos are fantastic.

[@Pendarr]

“Video game rental is nothing less than commercial rape.” Alright Howard.

[@brutal722]

Really never been a fan of Howard Lincoln altogether but then again I hate lawyers

[@aleekproductions6116]

2020: Video games are commercial rape

[@jamesanthony8438]

I seriously doubt that any rape victims would agree with that pompous, little asshole. >=(

[@gettinyukky]

its true roastie lmao

[@Appleboy78165]

Howard Lincoln was such an asshole

[@whcchw]

Love the outro "funding for___ is provided/brought to you in part by.." brings me back to public access tv from WTTW and programs like Sesame Street.

[@YouaNumbahOneRacist]

12:36 Vegeta, how many stores does the scouter say Blockbuster has?

[@Daniel15au]

WHAT?! NINE THOUSAND?!

[@jameswatson1576]

Man. I can't even begin to tell you how sad I felt when my childhood Blockbuster closed down. I still have my membership card somewhere. It's a rent-a-center now. 😟

[@skreign]

R.i.p Hollywood Video & Blockbuster

[@powerclaw1]

Words cannot describe how much I miss Blockbuster. I used to love going there as a kid just to look at everything there, and would sometimes spend the better part of an hour deciding what I wanted.

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

I like how all Hollywood Video and Blockbuster stores around me in both Cleveland and Cincinnati still have all their signage and branding. Just empty buildings. The empty Blockbuster still has a lit sign and interior with its blue/yellow/purple paint. Creepy.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Family Video is still around unlike Blockbuster, Hollywood Video/Movie Gallery and many other chain video stores. Blockbuster still operates a small number of franchised locations (less than 15), which are no longer associated with corporate Blockbuster.

[@Lightspeeds]

The three blockbuster's I used to go to back int he day have all had their building renovated and moved in by new companies. One's a afrocentric beauty shop, another's a bagel bros restaurant, and the last is now a mattress firm.

[@TedBackus]

in the 90's, there was an electronics boutique in the mall in my home town. before it was either bought by, or changed to game stop, electronics boutique wasnt much different, except for one small, sweet detail. they offered a 1 week grace period, where you could buy a game & return it for a full refund ,as long as it wasnt damaged or missing manuals, boxes ,etc. i abused that grace period for a solid summer. i made my own money, but games werent cheap & minimum wage was less than $4 at the time, so id buy , return, buy return. they put a stop to it after 4 or more times back to back , then the receipt would get dried out & torn & you just had to commit. it was great still

[@GamesFromSpace]

The most amazing part of this video is that there are still 51 blockbuster stores.

[@losalfajoresok]

+Joshua Pearce I thought the same, are people still renting dvds or blu rays?

[@brandonnesfan]

+Lord Alfajor Some places have internet that's too shitty to steam.

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

+Joshua Pearce Those Blockbuster locations are franchised.

[@brandonnesfan]

Justin Hill What the differance?

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

+A E S T H E T I C 生活のための www.blockbuster.com/franchise.html < I hope this website helps.

[@freddydurst5721]

I always wondered where Eddie Munster ended up at. Great channel congrats Eddie.

[@paul1979uk2000]

So did I understand this correctly, they wanted to ban rentals to curtail piracy?, if anything, I would imaging it would have the opposite effect. What I find funny about companies like Nintendo and Disney is that they come across as a kids friendly company and yet they are ruthless when it comes to copyrights and over protecting their stuff.

[@jestertheslacker]

First, they fought rentals to protect sales not curtail piracy, as stated in the video, back then copying a video game was nearly impossible. Also, companies are forced by law to protect their copyrights. If you don't protect your copyright, you lose it.

[@paul1979uk2000]

Jester The Slacker Depends, when I was a kid, it was very easy to copy and get hold of any games or software we wanted even on consoles, on computers like the Amiga, it was even easier.

[@krisfrederick5001]

Money corrupts everything my friend

[@SegaDream131]

Greed....sums it all up.... These companies rehash the same shite out and expect you to pay for it everytime.... I hate what video games have become.... Im literally becoming kranky kong....😠😧😴😲😑

[@SegaDream131]

@@paul1979uk2000 not on nes it wasnt.... Unless you had a famicom disk system.... Which i highly doubt.... But let me guess....you had a unclenintendo huh!??😂😂😂

[@forbiddenera]

Being a kid who's parents couldn't afford an NES or SNES, the few weekends that we rented one were a serious treat. But any game with saves didn't make a lot of sense unless you grinded it the entire weekend and still didn't finish it and had to start over next time.

[@AntonP99]

I immediately like the videos because I always know they're gonna be excellent

[@ryanjwebb]

When Blockbuster closed down around the corner from me, Family Video swooped in and bought the building. I go in there a couple times a week and it's always packed! Video rentals are alive and well in Canada.....for now.

[@Korn333]

ryanjwebb Over one year late, how it that store going now?

[@udeadinaflash]

Here in Indiana, USA I see them all over and actually just rented some games from there

[@thegamingchef3304]

Never knew this. Glad I stumbled on your KZbin page.

[@R0n1n760]

Where I lived there was Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery all in a 5 mile radius. I remember this local shop also rented out consoles which was cool

[@steven42087]

hey Norm I love ur channel man please keep it up

[@JeffSayYes]

It was awesome when you'd open up a case and the manual was still there

[@noahpaulette1490]

2019 and only 1 blockbuster left

[@dougharper1492]

Noah Paulette 2020: .... and then there where none :’(

[@timhagedorn6890]

that's what i miss today. there used to be a place and a time for something. a school day was saved just by knowing you were going to rent a game in the evening. not the same as today when you browse the game list on ps now or something, anytime you want.